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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · tear · perch · object · jam · present · sharp · wound

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. firm — decided
  4. wound — an injury
  5. perch — the fish
  6. firm — a company
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. present — a gift
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. tear — from crying
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. wound — an injury
  13. present — there
  14. object — a thing
  15. present — the time now
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. tear — to rip
  19. object — an aim
  20. firm — steady
  21. sharp — clever
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. tear — from crying

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com